Even though I work in golf media, I had never watched more than a few minutes of LIV Golf TV coverage until the week before the British Open at Valderrama.
Why? Moral issues aside, I have little interest in a 54-hole golf tournament without a cut, especially considering that many of the players on the PIF-backed tour are well past their prime.
I watched a few minutes of the inaugural 2022 Centurion Club event live and saw some highlights on social media, but it was all over until Valderrama’s event. However, I’m increasingly interested in the quality of live broadcasts of men’s professional golf events.
My colleague Barry Plummer has written extensively on this topic. He has written several articles on the shots per hour broadcast on the LIV, PGA Tour and DP World Tour, and offered his take on which tour offers the best overall viewing experience. These articles inspired me to watch the full LIV broadcast and share my thoughts.
So, on Friday at LIV Golf Andalucia, I sat down and spent two hours taking notes. Here’s what I learned…
Positive factors
1) The whole product feels more exciting and engaging than PGA and DPWT events (and to be clear, I'm not talking about the majors here, which are generally well covered). This is obviously helped by the lack of ad breaks, which will obviously start to appear when LIV gets more commercial support. But even so, there's no wasted time – complete a shot and you're taken straight to somewhere else. There are no visuals of trees swaying in the wind or ponds rippling – it's non-stop action.
2) You feel like you've got a lot packed into one hour. LIV shows 32 more shots per hour than the PGA Tour and 35 more than the DPWT. Extrapolate that over the entire broadcast, and you can easily watch over 100 extra shots. Even when shots aren't shown, you'll hear great audio between players and caddies, candid interviews (players are allowed to curse), and fast-paced, dynamic flybys of the holes that make you feel like you're there.
3) The entire broadcast makes golf feel like an action sport. There is plenty of action and it doesn't feel like you are watching a dull, slow match. I dare anyone to think that LIV broadcasts are boring after watching them.
Sergio Garcia and Fireballs GC celebrate victory in Andalucia
(Image source: Getty Images)
4) Having a constant leaderboard on the left is a great addition, something that seems to be a breeze on other tours. You'll see it every time someone makes a birdie and finishes in the top 10. It doesn't distract from the viewing experience at all.
5) I really enjoyed the quick highlight recaps. If you see a move in the leaderboard, you can quickly see how it happened. The music accompanying these visuals is fast and lively – much like the Indian Premier League, which I thought had fantastic coverage – and fits in with the overall theme of the broadcast.
6) What I like most about looking at LIV is the ubiquity and variety of graphics. When someone is on the tee, you can see their average score on par 3s, or the field average on the fairway, right rough, and left rough. On the green, you can see how putts break and the ideal starting line.
Other features include pop-up hole graphics showing wind direction, ball spread and hole scores on the green, season averages for par 5s, career statistics for certain holes, and shaded rings around the holes representing 0-5 ft, 5-10 ft, and 10-20 ft. There's always something going on, and the graphics are bright and colorful, so you never feel like you're watching something boring.
7) One of the main criticisms of LIV is that it is “performance” golf. During the first round at Valderrama, it didn't feel like that and I saw a lot of people pumping their fists.
8) For the first time at LIV Golf Andalucia, the course has introduced any-shot, any-time viewing. This means you can select exactly which golfer, group or team you want to watch and follow every shot in real time. It's really impressive.
One of the many graphics used in LIV Golf broadcasts
(Image source: LIV Golf YouTube)
Negative factors
1) The team element is pointless and makes no sense in the current context – it just makes money rich for people who no longer need it. Commentators have been trying to make it a reality, but I'd be surprised if anyone cared. It may develop into something marketable over time, but currently it feels completely far-fetched and irrelevant.
2) As much as I enjoyed watching the live stream, I didn't sit down to watch the finals. I think LIV might be more prone to failure due to the shotgun tee shots, potential winners not finishing on the 18th hole, no one setting clubhouse goals, etc.
3) During the first round, I watched Henrik Stenson, who was five over at the time, miss a par putt. His ball rolled about four feet past the hole, but he carelessly hit it into the hole and missed the return. He didn't bother to mark it, realign it and read the putt. There's no way he could have done that in a tournament with a cut because there's a chance he wouldn't get paid. When you're making $50,000 for finishing last, you don't need to try as hard when things aren't going your way. It's a fact.
4) It might be great for the folks on the ground, but the music on the course — which you can hear on every hole — does nothing for the broadcast. Again, I think this is a bit of a stretch.
5) During the broadcast, the top 24 and top 48 were mentioned multiple times, but their significance was never explained. This is an easy question to answer, but I found myself searching the internet for the answer. If you are unsure either, let me tell you: the top 24 will retain their spots for 2025, while those who finish 25-48 in the season prize money/points standings will need to re-sign with their current teams or find another team to represent them.
I won't rush out to watch more LIV golf events — it doesn't interest me as much as some of the PGA and DP World Tour events (emphasis on some) — but I was impressed with the broadcast. It was colorful, exciting, engaging and entertaining. The traditional powerhouse tours should be on people's radar.